Dirk Fiebig is the Operations Director for AMNET EMEA. An industry veteran, he is an expert and thought leader in programmatic trading. With over 13 years experience in ad technology and operations, his passion for technology and innovation brought him to AMNET, the Aegis Trading Desk, driving better performance and value across display, video and mobile.

Dirk started trading on ad exchanges in early 2008 and has since specialized in automated data driven media buying. Today he’s responsible for AMNET’s technology stack, trading teams and workflow management.

SEARS: Tell us about AMNET. What countries are you active in?

FIEBIG: 9: US, AU, UK, NL, BE, FR, DE, PL, IT

SEARS: How many employees globally?

FIEBIG: Worldwide: approximately 100

SEARS: What are Amnet’s three biggest initiatives in Europe for 2013?

FIEBIG:

DMP

PMP

Premium Programmatic

SEARS: How are you working with the operating agencies in your holding company?

FIEBIG: AMNET is working closely with the Aegis Op Cos, our staff is regularly hot desking with them. AMNET is not a mandate.

SEARS: If part of the push is your involvement earlier in process, at the time of planning, how much of buying today is programmatic and how much of a plan could be programmatic?

FIEBIG: Our legitimate vision is that any part of the media plan can be programmatic.

SEARS: Let’s talk about direct deal automation and the path to programmatic guaranteed. From our global vantage point we see the European market leading the way in direct deal automation. Premium publishers such as The Guardian, the La Place consortium, the Telegraph, ebay, Hearst and News International etc have embraced direct deals and so have the trading desks. We believe 2013 is the Year of Programmatic Guarantee—where SSPs and DSPs will allow trading desks to deliver guaranteed budgets.

SEARS: Is your trading desk capturing guaranteed budgets today or do you plan to in 2013?

FIEBIG: AMNET reserves to right of refusal to maintain a key efficiency of programmatic buying.

SEARS: What is the importance of 1st party publisher data in direct programmatic deals? Is this being utilized because of the strength of 1st party publisher data or the overall weakness / lack of availability of 3rd party data in European markets? Does 1st party data scale?

FIEBIG: 2nd party publisher data, like 1st party data is as important as it’s proprietary and relevant to our clients. I’m pleased to see the some EU 3rd party data markets really maturing in 2013.

SEARS: Can direct deal automation for mobile accelerate faster than display [because there is less traditional buying and selling infrastructure around this]? Or will it be adopted at the same pace of display? What about video?

FIEBIG: In the 5th year of the year of mobile the lack of standardization and analytics is holding mobile back, not infrastructure. Video is a different kettle of fish due to its constraints of liquidity.

SEARS: Viewability. The IAB is working on 3MS and a viewability standard. How are you thinking about viewability—for measurement? For billing? Is the industry ready?

FIEBIG: The industry is in dire need of viewability standards. We’re currently shifting from post impression optimization to pre-bid viewability ratings. In the long term, clearly adhered to guidelines of what inventory is trades will drive ultimate efficiencies.

SEARS: All of you work for global companies. What are your US counterparts most surprised by when they visit? What are you most surprised by when you look at your firms US operations and market?